DOLE eyes wipeout of child labor in East Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY: The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is seeking to rescue at least 75 percent the 213,000 child workers in Eastern Visayas in the next three and a half years.

DOLE Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga said three levels of interventions have been rolled out in Mondragon, Catarman, Laoang and Las Navas in Northern Samar; Tacloban City and Ormoc City in Leyte.

Starting this year 22 villages have been tagged as priority areas in wiping out child labor.

These villages are pilot sites for the four-year child labor elimination initiative that aims to save majority of 213,000 young laborers. Of this number, 159,750 of them are engaged in hazardous work.

Labor officials in Samar, Eastern Samar and Southern Leyte were told to name their pilot areas in this campaign.

“Implementation of anti-child labor initiative is on the third level in Northern Samar. We have already provided livelihood assistance to parents and various stakeholders already mobilized their resources to save children from hazardous work,” Sarcauga said.

The official said plans have been laid out to sustain the initiative and continuously monitored the status of child workers.

Panao said they are still profiling child laborers in Tacloban City and Ormoc City. Only Barangay 37 completed the activity, wherein 14 children under the age bracket of 5 to 17 years old were found engaged in hazardous work in the city’s market and wharf.